1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to apparatuses and methods for monitoring a distance between an item of interest and a base location.
2. Description of the Related Art
Systems have been developed for tracking or monitoring the location of an object or person within a given area. Such systems are useful to provide warnings when valuable objects or equipment are being removed from a designated area. Such systems are also useful to provide warnings when people leave a designated area, such as a baby in a hospital nursery, an inmate in a minimum security prison, or an elderly resident of a nursing facility. These systems typically employ a transmitter that is coupled to the object or person and that transmits a location signal. Multiple receivers are used to receive the location signal and to determine or coordinate a transmitter's position by measuring and comparing the difference in the time that the location signal reaches each receiver. Other systems employ the use of global positioning satellites to track the location of objects. Unfortunately, these systems can require expensive, highly technical equipment that can be difficult to install and challenging to use.
What is neither disclosed by nor obvious in view of the prior art is a system that can monitor the location of an object or person using relatively simple, inexpensive and efficient equipment.